Intermediate Film is a year-long course emphasizing technical production in sync sound film making. Theoretical concerns and cinematic techniques are stressed. We explore concepts of (and the relationships between) narrative, documentary and experimental filmmaking. The first half of the Fall semester, students work in assigned teams, completing a series of short exercises. In the second half of the term, class members individually create their own longer films for final projects. Students screen their work in class at various stages of completion: rushes, rough cuts, and fine cuts. In addition, there are weekly screenings of works by relevant filmmakers. Participation in class discussions is required.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $500.00 Deposit $150.00

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video | Live Action

In Video Practices, students will work with digital video cameras, sound recorders and microphones, and editing and color correction software. Through projects, screenings, in-class assignments, and readings, students will explore key concepts in digital moving-image making to build, expand, and deepen their time-based practice.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $60.00

Deposit: $150.00

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

In the Directing class, the ongoing focus throughout the semester is an exploration of the methods of communication between directors and actors. Students are encouraged to go beyond the first instinct or idea, and to develop a project to its fullest potential, particularly with respect to meaning and to potential modes of execution. Students work on a variety of scenes throughout the semester, complete several short assignments during and outside of class, and read handouts and excerpts from texts. Students direct: (1) each other, (2) young actors from the Carriage House School, (3) professional actors from the community (brought in for two classes), and (4) actors of their choosing for final projects. As they direct rehearsals, students utilize a variety of specific tools that enable them to maximize the creativity and fertility of their relationships with actors, and to make adjustments in performances quickly and effectively. The latter third of the semester also focuses on techniques for script analysis. These are used to discover the range of creative possibilities in a given text, and to thoroughly prepare and organize directors for rehearsals and shoots. An ongoing, general goal of the course is also for each student to reflect upon and identify their personal themes as a director.

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Elective

This course explores a variety of approaches to non-fiction filmmaking, including intersections with social practice, the documentary ‘turn’ in art, non-fiction writing, experimental film and life-to-fiction adaptation. Students are encouraged to create their own approach to the dramaturgy, aesthetics, ethics, and politics of non-fiction storytelling. The course establishes a critical thinking community around these topics, as students continue to develop their practice. Students will be introduced to non-fiction writing, directing and producing, and will gain technical skills in recording and editing of sound and image. Students will work collaboratively on short assignments to gain experience in the field. The final project and focus throughout the semester is a fully researched and developed non-fiction project. The format is open – it can be a short film, visual essay, drawing/animation or installation. Readings and screenings of seminal non-fiction and fiction/non-fiction hybrid films will inspire and deepen students' understanding of non-fiction practices as an art form and as a vehicle for social change.

Non-majors welcome subject to space; please contact fav@risd.edu to register.

Elective

Our eyes are nearly always drawn towards something moving over something inert. What innovative strategies can be employed to incorporate video, sculpture, and physical space into a single work, without one medium dominating the other? How can an artist resolve the fundamental differences between two-dimensional moving images and three-dimensional objects or space? This intensive studio elective will explore methods and issues of assimilating video, photography, sound, performance, objects, and space through studying and constructing multimedia sculpture and installations. Throughout the semester we will be presented with assignments that examine these different possibilities from multiple perspectives, including studio projects that deploy video in a sculptural context, and sculpture that is only activated through a video work. We will study the recent history of artists and designers who engage multimedia techniques and experiment with new formats and technologies. Students will learn the basics of DSLR camera technique, digital video editing, audio production, audio/video display technology, and installation techniques. Students in the course should have an understanding of sculptural materials and fabrication techniques, and should be ready to experiment with the fundamental structure of the presentation of media.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00

Elective

This course offers a deep investigation of the role that camera movement and composition, framing and sequencing of shots can play in live action digital cinema projects. We employ a visualist approach, where cinematography and movement are used to amplify a plot/performance and/or reach beyond conventional storytelling, by creating emotional or even physical/sensory reactions in a viewer. By focusing on and exploring the plasticity of time - using movement of the camera in space, the stretching of time through use of time-lapse, slow-motion and live action/stop motion animation hybrid methods - students build strong visions as directors and artist makers of moving images.  Borrowing methods used in independent cinema, experimental animation, film and video art, painting, sculpture, architecture and photography, students will consider what types of seeing can be developed by applying these approaches.
 
This course uses advanced motion control systems that are only available for this course (the eMotimo/dana dolly tracking system and custom build rigs/gimbals) which give students detailed control over their use of cinematic movement. In addition, we explore uses of lenses, including vintage lenses and filters to destroy/enhance the materiality of the digital image to emulate filmic looks. The course also offers an in-depth look into color correction and grading, where students can apply painterly approaches to the moving image. 
 
Students work collaboratively and individually on two short film projects and/or multi-channel installations, where the goal is to develop a strong artistic vision and create a distinct film experience for a viewer. Interdisciplinary approaches/collaborations are encouraged, and students from other departments at RISD are welcome.

Estimated Materials Cost: $50.00

Elective